In order to connect a terminal having a contact member, a core wire crimping section and an insulative cover crimping section to an electric wire, the electric wire is stripped of an insulative cover at an end thereof to expose core wires. The exposed core wires are crimped with the core wire crimping section, and the leading end of the remaining insulative cover is crimped with the cover crimping section. If the terminal connected to the electric wire (referred to as a lead, hereinafter) is used at a place where intrusion of water, such as rainwater, is likely to occur, measures for protecting the lead from water have to be taken.
In one example of a conventional waterproof lead (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-110464), an end portion of the core wires are crimped with the core wire crimping section, soldered, and a trailing end of the crimped portion of the core wires is covered with a shrinkable tube. A tubular terminal surrounds the portion of the core wires crimped with the core wire crimping section to shield the core wires from water intrusion. The manufacture of this conventional waterproof lead requires attaching the shrinkable tube and soldering. Because two steps are required, workability is poor and manufacturing costs are high. Furthermore, the tubular terminal is not easy to fabricate, which also raises manufacturing costs.
In another example of a conventional waterproof lead (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-285983 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-182688), the core wires that are crimped with the core wire crimping section are covered with a heat-shrink tube that has an adhesive applied to an internal surface thereof. The heat-shrink tube is heated to melt the adhesive. The molten adhesive coats an outer circumference of the bundle of core wires. Since water intrusion into the electric wire often occurs at the leading end of the core wires through clearances between adjacent core wires, coating only the circumference of the bundle of core wires does not adequately waterproof the lead.